A Birthday Conversation
by MountEverest
Summary: Post Con Man in the Meth Lab.


He sat at the bar, twirling the remains of his whisky around in the bottom of his glass. Absently watching the sloshing liquid, he reflected on the sequence of events that led up to now. Brennan was saying goodbye to Angela, the only two participants of his birthday bash left. Hearing the bar door close, he felt her approach and take the place next to him.

The bartender placed a fresh glass of red wine down in front of her. Slender fingers grasped the glass by the stem, tipping the dark liquid gracefully into her mouth. She reveled taste of the wine before looking over at him.

"Happy Birthday Booth."

"Not my birthday anymore Bones. It's after midnight."

She smiled at him, sighing exaggeratedly at his remark. He returned the smile, moving his body towards her, slightly bumping up against her. His smile faded when he saw her wince briefly in pain. He threw back the remainder of his liquor and made a gesture to the bartender for more.

"I'm sorry I got you shot Bones."

"Booth. I got me shot. Not you."

"There are so many things that I could have done differently. If I would have left the big gun in the car or negotiate with the sheriff or…then you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"We all wish we could have done things differently." Her eyes were soft, still seeking forgiveness.

"I'm not mad at you Bones."

"You should be. I did some…said some hurtful things. I questioned who you are and I would understand if you never forgave me."

"People aren't always who you think they are."

"Exactly. But you are. You are consistently a good friend, a good FBI agent, a good family man. You are…you are a very impressive alpha male and all that entails."

Finding himself uncomfortable with the compliments, more so than the recent criticisms, he focused his eyes on the other patrons, searching for what it was he wanted to say. "It really was a nice toast. Thanks."

"It was true." Her eyes never left him, analyzing him continuously.

"Even the part about anthropology being wrong?" His look was incredulous as he shifted his attention back to her.

"There are other ways to see the world than through an anthropological lens."

Booth looked at her closely, then began to laugh. Her face crinkled up in confusion, head tipping slightly to the side awaiting clarification as to where the humor of her statement lie.

"You never would have said that a few years ago Bones. You've changed." After shaking his head smile, a patented Booth charm smile appeared on his face. For the first time of the night, his smile reached his eyes.

Silently accepting his compliment, she reached out for his hand. She very much wanted him to understand the truth behind her next words. "You changed me Booth. You have made me a better person. You helped me evolve."

"We're good like that…helping each other." Moving his other hand atop of hers, his thumb absently drew circles on her skin.

"Yeah we are." Their gazes were locked together, transmitting messages that they could not yet say, maybe not yet been totally realized. Blue and brown danced together while everything else remained still. The once stagnant bar air began to crackle with the intensity that was building between them. The moments like these that occurred more and more frequently were getting harder and harder to. Booth's smile faded away, Brennan's following suit. There was undeniably something between them, but he did not have the strength to act on it. Maybe there was some truth to this sabotage theory.

Finally he broke the gaze and rubbed his face in his hands. "It's getting late."

Feeling what she could only classify as disappointment, Brennan smiled weakly at him. "We should go."

"Yeah."

Placing drink glasses on the bar top and exiting the building, they stood together outside waiting for cabs in silence. Glances were stolen but never returned. Finally a cab came and Brennan began to climb in. Pausing, she looked back at her partner. "Some things are worth the risk Booth."

And with that she was gone. And he was left to wonder when she had taken over as the heart person and when it was that he would accept hers.


End file.
